thought he was quite a good pro. >> i was surprised but understanding of his possession. >> the news stunned that the faithful and those who will lead the flock. >> this is very startling. totally unprepared for. >> cardinal worrell saw no indication he was in poor health. >> he presided at meeting after meeting. there was no doubt he was in full possession of his faculties. >> president obama extended appreciation and prayers to his holiness and did the vice- president. >> his decision reinforced at this is a man of great integrity. >> catholic -- it is too early to tell who is going to succeed. >> they want the right man. >> there is a lot of speculation about whether the next pope will be under or perhaps someone from

the developing world. there are no clear front runners. it is expected the vatican will hold a conclave next week to select a new pontiff before easter. >> right now we're getting reaction from some local catholic leaders. barry simms joins us in north baltimore. >> the archbishop said he was surprised this morning to hear the news. he called pope benedict xvi a man of humility, reflection, and wisdom and as the faithful to pray for the pope and also the church. worshippers in downtown baltimore are fighting hard to believe. some tell us that the respect his decision to step down. >> it will never be easy for him but whether it is the right

decision, you do not know until history shows as the right decision. >> he cannot do his job if his health is not good. >> what does that mean for the church? >> there's another holy man in the wings ready to take his place. >> i hope he will recognize the humanity of this pope. -- we will recognize the humanity of this pope. recognize that the stamina required for this role was not his any longer. >> i was just surprised. very, very surprised. a little bit sad. i think he is a wonderful polk. he has done a wonderful job these last eight years. >> what ever has motivated his decision he does think he is doing it for the good of the

church as well as for his own good. >> the colonel calls this an act of selflessness and humility. the cardinal will be part of the selection process for new pope. who will succeed pope benedict xvi? >> whether it is -- the holy father -- the new holy father comes from a developing country or from a developed country, certainly that will be a big consideration. can he embraced every language and culture on the face of this earth? imagine what a job description that is. >> we have been going through this process from generation to generation. >> he does remember times when

the pope said if he did not have the stamina to continue he would resign. >> our team coverage of the resignation continues on line. we continue to monitor any activity out of the vatican. when it comes to replacement you can catch a comprehensive slide show of pope benedict xvi through the years and more reaction from around the world. quex in her state of the city address, the mayor responded to a projected budget deficits that could bankrupt the city. she is proposing adding pensions for newly hired civilian employees and moving to a hybrid pension plan for newly hired police officers and that is not all. >> the mayor said earlier today that she has some very difficult decisions to make. you mentioned a few of them.

sweeping cuts and reforms she addressed in her state of the city address. all these things need to be done to put the city on better financial footing. >> the question for this generation is this. well baltimore cement a true turnaround toward future growth or will we allow our victories to become a momentary pause, a footnote in the continuing story of decline? >> the mayor making it clear during her state of the city address monday that some unpopular choices are going to be made in order to save the city from financial ruin. this after a report last week conducted by a philadelphia financial firm showing in 10 years baltimore will be going -- will be $750 million in the red and face an additional $1.30 billion shortfall in city infrastructure. while the mayor's speech was first highlighted by the mayor's

accomplishments of her past three years including drops in violent crime, work to strengthen gun laws, a record low fire deaths, improvement on blighted neighborhoods, job creation, and education, all eyes and ears were on the mayor for her so-called 10-year financial plan. >> this plan does not solve all our problems. no realistic plan ever does. but it will show with greater confidence that baltimore, more than any other city in america, is taking responsibility in getting its own house in order. >> the mayor is proposing sweeping pension reform requiring employees to contribute to their retirement accounts, extending wellness programs to make sure all the pending health coverage is legitimate, modernizing the city's vehicle fleet to reduce maintenance costs, negotiating a new schedule for fire fighters, increasing pay, but also the workweek to 52 hours, reducing the city's work force by 10%, creating new fees for solid

waste and recycling, a new storm water fee as well. this could reduce property taxes by 22%. we spoke to representatives of the police and fire unions. both are holding judgment until the mayor talks actual numbers. >> do you thi>> we need to sit d see what the actual details are. this comes back to what kind of recruit can the police department bring on? it is no longer long term. >> the mayor talked about lifting this -- the tax-exempt status for nonprofits in their properties as well which could bring in millions of dollars of additional revenue. we will get a better idea as to what the mayor is thinking on february 21 she presents her plan formally to a number of community and business members

to better outline how this plan is going to go. we're live outside city hall. wbal tv 11 news. >> the former maryland and first lady may be considering a run for anne arundel county executive this thursday. she is expected to participate in a forum for canada it's replacing john leopold. it will begin at 6:00 p.m. candidates will have less than 24 hours to some mid their application. john leopold resigned after a judge found him guilty of misconduct in office. the council has 30 days to fill the seat with another republican. >> a 14-year-old montgomery county boys is charged as an adult for the murder of his sister. he beat and suffocated larissa yanes while his mother was at

work. he hit her and she started crying so he covered her mouth and nose to keep required. >> police had searched for the victims missing car and that led had them to the suspect. there was an apparent relationship between the suspect and victim. >> police say that jennifer conyers did know her attacker and have charged him with second and first degree murder. >> jennifer conyers worked as a social worker, a caseworker for those individuals whose lives have been torn by hiv/aids. >> the pelch department released the statement. the family and friends are

learning the awful details of her death. according to charging documents, after a fire at her home friday night, her body was discovered in her basement. lying face down, bound with electrical cords and tape. in the first floor bedroom, police said there was blood on the floor and on a computer. jennifer conyers had severe trauma to the back of her head. police say she knew her attacker. >> monte carter was dating, had some kind of casual relationship. they had met online as the suspect had admitted to us. he admitted to partying with a friend and abusing drugs, taking her personal effects and ultimately coming back and allegedly killing her. >> police say they caught him driving her car. documents say he admitted to using heroin and cocaine and parting with a friend several days before the fire and her death. neighbors are glad someone is in custody. they say they will miss their

neighbor trade credits and become a pellett i cannot help but look at that house across the street. i am looking for her. i am looking for her car. i am looking for a mother, and it is like it is a void right there. >> she was a very private and nice young lady. >> police say the fire was related to the death but they cannot definitively say if it was sad as a cover-up. lisa robinson, wbal tv 11 news. >> details on how you can save big money on energy-efficient products this weekend. >> shifting from the game of the year to the deal of the year. more on that in sports. >> temperatures will cool off a little bit and there is some snow in the

>> the idea is for consumers to start using more energy-saving products. this is the third year for the program in which consumers will not have to pay sales tax on certain qualifying energy star products. >> we are encouraging everybody to shot saturday through monday at locally owned businesses and you'll avoid the 6% sales tax. how great is that?

>> it starts at 12:01 saturday morning and and midnight monday morning. for more information you can go to our website. wbaltv.com. click on consumer. >> quick moving weather disturbance brought rain to the area. for most of the day although it was not running it was kind of cloudy. and unseasonably mild. we pick up point for a financial drain which gives us a deficit, half an inch below normal. we are on page 4 normal rainfall and precipitation totals for the year so far. 52 for the high. the record low was six below zero in 1999. in the middle of the worst arctic are brick that had baltimore. five days in 1899.

eight records were set. 54 records for a cold high. the lowest tide temperature of the day. the high-temperature on february 11 was six below zero. it was here for every 8099. 60 in hagerstown. 59 in salisbury. there is a cold front coming. that will push this mild air off the coast. the skies were clear and lows will be down in the 30's. high pressure will build in behind it. you can see the skies are clearing out. back to the center of high- pressure in the middle of the country. the slightly cooler temperatures. this storm well as across the country really quick and that is the one that could bring some snow wednesday night. sunny skies tomorrow and partly

cloudy tornadic. wednesday the clouds increase in the morning and by afternoon, a mixed bag of rain and snow across the state wednesday afternoon. it may change to snow during that evening rush hour on wednesday. most likely after sunset is when we get accumulating snow. it is gone before the thursday morning rush-hour moving off the coast at 3:00 a.m. but by thursday morning of the potential is there for a couple of inches of snow to be on the ground. sunshine returns thursday afternoon. not a big storm but it could complicate things wednesday and thursday. 44 to 50 tomorrow and sunday skies. the small craft advisory on the bay for two or 3 foot waves and water temperatures in the 30's. some snow accumulating on wednesday. eastern shore locations, it will cool off a little bit but it is not brutal. 48 and breezy tomorrow. rain and snow wednesday evening. lower eastern shore, temperatures into the low 50's. 40's with some rain on wednesday

afternoon and wednesday night. we have that wednesday night- there's a system living through. watch out for that weekend. that could hit as, potential for snow saturday and sunday. >> the off-season gets busy in a hurry for the ravens beginning with priority number one, assigning joe flacco to a long- term deal. his agent plans to begin talks with the ravens this week. the ravens want a long-term -- what a long-term deal including greater flexibility. because of the nfl's you kneecap accounting system if they have to use the franchise tag on joe flacco they would have to pay him $50 million next season. would have less flexibility to spend money on other free agents and if they reach a long-term

contract deal. does it look like a strong year for quarterbacks in free agency or in the draft? that makes the status quo more attractive for teams. michael vick agreed to a one- year deal worth $10 million. it replaces a six-year $100 million deal that he signed last year, changing his contract. new -- the new coach runs an offense designed around a running quarterback. a new journey begins tomorrow. the team opens its spring training. it had tried to build on a playoff season instead of trying to rebuild after a losing season. they did not make much of a splash in the market this off- season. hoping to build the team around the -- looking to win eight

divisional playoff. their plan against the minnesota twins. their opening day happens away from camden yards. baseball is not far away. has some snow in the forecast after this.

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>> millions suffer from allergies triggered by certain foods. one of the most common, peanuts. an allergic reaction can be mild

or deadly. could there be a cure? >> johnny is one of the millions who has a food allergy. it is peanuts. his mom discovered it early on when he bit into a penev butter and jelly sandwich. she has watched him like a hawk ever since. do you remember when you did not worry about peanuts? >> at a. the first reaction was when johnny was 8 months old. >> a doctor at johns hopkins children's center is trying to cure johnny of his allergy. we were there when he attempted something he avoided for years, beating grill peanut butter on a bun. tonight, i will show you what happened after he bit into that peanut butter sandwich. details from his doctor on a treatment that could truly be life changing for millions of

>> we have a chance of snow on wednesday night. a couple of inches are possible by thursday morning. saturday night into sunday morning, powerful storm in the right position. we could get some saturday snow. that is days down the road and it could change completely.

>> thanks for joining us. >> nbc nightly news is next. see you at 11:00 p.m. [captioning made p